Illinois
IDPH announces the largest measles outbreak in Illinois since 1990 officially contained
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced the largest measles outbreak to affect Illinois since 1990 is officially contained as no new cases have been reported for more than two incubation periods spanning 42 days.
A total of 67 measles cases were reported during the outbreak since March 7, officials said.
A vast majority of these cases were linked to a Chicago shelter for new arrivals, but cases were eventually reported in suburban Cook, DuPage, Lake and Will counties.
All cases were rapidly contained in all these other locations.
“I applaud all of the public health, health care, emergency management and social service staffers who worked so diligently to cooperate across jurisdictional lines to contain this measles outbreak,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “Public health is a team sport founded on partnership, and this was no better exemplified than during this recent outbreak. Vaccination remains our most effective tool to prevent future outbreaks. Please reach out to your primary care provider this summer to ensure that you are up to date on the MMR vaccine and all other routine immunizations.”
Throughout the outbreak, IDPH, the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS), and Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) mobilized resources to support local public health partners and provided epidemiological support for county public health departments for Cook, DuPage, Lake and Will counties.
IDPH also expanded its laboratory capacity to expedite measles testing and provided results back faster than any commercial lab.
State and local partners convened educational and awareness sessions with clinicians, community leaders and school personnel which led to increased vaccinations, testing and rapid reporting of cases.
In addition, the state galvanized its public service sector through DHS to assist with contact tracing of those who had left the shelter system and re-organized mass events such as job fairs to minimize the risk of super-spreader events.
Most residents of Chicago and Illinois were vaccinated for measles routinely in childhood and therefore were not at risk during the outbreak.
IDPH stresses the importance of ensuring everyone in your family is up to date on their immunizations.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination rates in the United States have dropped, increasing the likelihood of more cases of vaccine-preventable diseases.
Individuals can protect themselves and their communities by doing their part and ensuring their families are up to date on all recommended vaccines.
CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.
FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.
According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.
It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.
Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
The National Weather Service has teams of storm surveryors in the field April 18 investigating several reports of severe storms and tornado touch downs across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and northeast Missouri.
According to the weather service’s website, windgusts of up to 60 to 70 mph along with teacup-sized hail and several tornadoes were reported April 17.
Many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees were uprooted and power lines were downed in Lena, Illinois, where the most significant damage occurred, the site pointed out.
Very strong winds also were reported near Washington, Iowa, and Colmar, Illinois, where several outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed.
The weather service received reports of confirmed and possible tornadoes in the areas of Lena, Pecatonica, Shirland, Rockton, Roscoe and Capron.
The teams will be assessing damage this weekend into next week along with county emergency management teams to determine what types of storms occurred and their paths.
Dozens of power outages were reported, as well.
As of the afternoon of April 18, ComEd was reporting 85 active power outages across northern Illinois, down from 241 on April 17, and 6,751 customers affected, down from more than 18,000.
The bulk of those outages and the most customers impacted are concentrated in Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties.
Freeze Watch
from MON 12:00 AM CDT until MON 9:00 AM CDT, Lake County, Kankakee County, La Salle County, DuPage County, Northern Will County, DeKalb County, Southern Will County, Kendall County, Southern Cook County, Northern Cook County, Grundy County, Eastern Will County, Kane County, McHenry County, Lake County, Newton County, Jasper County, Porter County
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